Carrefour’s sales in Romania fell 0.4% to e1.13bn (£952m) during 2010, and on a like-for-like basis sales decreased 5%. The retailer’s sales are now lower than they were in 2008, when full-year sales came in at e1.19bn (£1bn) - even though the retailer now operates 14 more stores than it did in 2008.

Last year, Carrefour opened one hypermarket (in the city of Drobeta Turnu Severin) and 10 supermarkets, while also closing three supermarkets. At the end of 2010, Carrefour operated 23 hypermarkets and 32 supermarkets in the country.